Tourist Scams and how to avoid them

I spoke to a customer who had recently returned from their cruise.I asked had she had a nice time and her reply was that the cruise had been very enjoyable but in Rome airport on her way home she had her iPad stolen from under her nose. She can remember a man approaching her and asking where the cafe was and she knew up until this point she had had her iPad . This man had purposely distracted her whilst his accomplice stole her Ipad. It is sad that we are now living in such an environment that you have to be on guard at all times. There’s none of this leaving your front door unlocked whilst you pop out, the sad truth is you simply can’t do it.

So when going on excursions you really have to be aware of the scams that are around. The scammers are getting so clever like my customer you really don’t know its happening until its too late. Before you travel make sure you have adequate insurance- cheap is not always best. So in the unlikely event you may have something stolen you will be covered.

A common scam is a local asking to take your photo and then running off with your camera. Simple answer to this is get a ‘selfie stick’.

Whilst travelling around different destinations be aware of fake tickets. This is very common for shows, excursions, museum visits and tours. The best place to purchase these are from the official website.

One tip I always give my customers who are adventurous and want to go off on their own is always agree a price with the taxi driver and get him to write it down. That way when you arrive at your chosen destination he can’t rip you off with the price.

These are extreme examples and try not to worry, just be vigilant.